This week has been busy. I have been basically working on homework and studying for upcoming tests. I have a business management, meteorology, and safety sciences tests coming up within a week. I also have had quizzes in psychology and homework in meteorology to do. I also have an informative speech to write. I am planning on talking about the St. Louis Arch. I haven’t found any information in the library about it so I am worried about it. Good thing I am going to St. Louis this weekend.

I am going to be an Alpha Xi Delta!!! I am so excited. My roommate is going to be a Sigma Sigma Sigma. I am happy for everyone. We went out for ice cream and got to know each other.

I had my first exam of the semester. It was in my Intro to Psychology class. I think I passed it. I am just hoping I got a B. Some of the questions definitely stumped me.

This week was sorority recruitment week. I actually never pictured myself as a sorority girl, actually neither do my friends. I decided to try it out and see if I like it and I dragged my roommate to come with me. I was excited to be meeting girls. The three sororities had different themes and you would go into different locations to interact with them. They are all unique and fun. I would rather do this at least once a week for the rest of the school year. I love girls’ night out. I know I took them for granted for the last couple of decades but now I treasure every moment.

Yes, the boys (the ones I interact with) at school are nice. They don’t give me any problems for the most part.

Hi everyone!

Well, I would like to say thanks to all the previous journal writers who really have done a great job. I should know since I read a few of them within the last couple months while anticipating my arrival to Embry-Riddle. Now I’m finally here, and I am in their position with the exciting and fun task of providing you, the readers around the world, with news about my life here at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University!

First off, let me introduce myself in this, my first journal submission. My name is Vivekh, 17 years old, and I hail from the beautiful twin islands of Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean (if you don’t know where it is, go look it up on a map!) My major is finally Aeronautical Science—I used the word “finally” because I changed my major like 4 times. Don’t worry, it may happen to you too while applying. Ok, secondly, how I came to ERAU. Well, for as along as I can remember, I have LOVED aviation with all my life. Everyday will not be complete without my daily dose of airliners.net – you aviation lovers must know about that! So, I talked to my parents about going to the U.S. to learn to fly and they agreed (love u guys!). So, I completed my ordinary-level examinations in secondary school last year around June and I dove straight into SAT prep. Let me tell you, that was hell in SO many different aspects! But I got around it in my first attempt, so YAY me! Then came the application process…waited..and waited even longer until finally I got my packet and was accepted with a partial scholarship, so I was of course happy with that. Then, as time passed by, Riddle (ERAU as you will eventually call it) hosted chat sessions between the students and faculty members and staff. In those chat sessions, I met a lot of new students like myself. We exchanged emails and stuff to keep in contact, and eventually they started introducing me to others and the chain continued like that until I knew a good many freshmen…

Ok, so I visited campus before for “sneak preview day” in April and I got very familiar with the place and from that day, I knew I wanted to stay in Adams Residence Hall and thank God, I was placed in here! I now reside in the penthouse (5th floor) with the coolest Resident Advisor and hall mates, they can make any boring night fun! Know this, whenever you get here, be sure to get to know all your hall mates, they can help you in homework, look out for you, and they may even be your roommates in your following year! But one thing is for sure—residence life is probably one of the most exciting things you will experience while you are here..oh, and get this, I knew who my roommate was before even finding out that we were paired together—how is that possible?..FACEBOOK! haha..yea, and we share the same birthday!

So, anyway, orientation week was a blast!..hectic, but fun. They really made us feel welcome into the school..anything we need help with, the orientation team members were always there to help. Then orientation week was over and it was time to say goodbye to my parents…that was sad. I mean, as much as you guys think you’re not gonna miss your parents when you go to college, wait till they leave! All the things you took for granted like them taking care of you, is all gone! I’m in this country with no one..and I can’t simply fly back home whenever I want! So, spend time with them before you leave for here. Also, your friends..OMG, you have NO idea how much I miss them..miss you lots, guys!

After orientation, classes began on August 28th. All my professors are reallllllly nice and they always look out for you. Make sure you’re keeping up and stuff. It’s also fun since I got to meet a lot of new freshmen and older students too. Time passed, but the homework kept coming and coming and coming! Blackboard can be convenient, but it also can be the devil when professors post new homework like the day before class! But that’s part of college life that we all must get accustomed to..staying up until the computer lab closes doing homework for Aeronautics 132! (ahem ahem)

Oh, let me say this…when you get here, you will be hearing this a lot—-get involved on campus! And I totally agree with this. When you get here, there will be tons of things offered to you to get involved in—join organizations, participate in on-campus activities..just always be active!..not only will you have fun, but you will meet loads of new people—freshmen and older students, faculty members who can assist you further on if you ever need help in anything. Ok, so I think this is getting a bit too much for you guys to read, so I hoped you enjoyed it and I look forward to keeping you guys updated with my life in Embry-Riddle..and to all you high school students who plan on coming here, good luck and work hard-er! College is no joke; keep that in mind!

Oh, and if anyone has any questions or just wanna talk, hit me up on facebook, or my email is pundib07@erau.edu , and my aim s/n is xtriniboix

Take care

I’m out,

Vick

Today I found out a got a scholarship. I am so happy. They are going to be sending a check to the school so that’s going to help me out with the other school expenses and I will finally be able to have health insurance. For now, I am going to go with the one that the school recommended since I have to do my yearly check up. I am going to be shopping around for an insurance company that would be willing to insure me with my previous medical conditions. Hopefully it works out in the end.

I encourage you to apply for all the scholarships you qualify for, even if you think you are not going to get it. When I was in high school, I applied for many scholarships. I was always at the counselor’s office asking for letters of recommendations and trying to get my transcripts sent to different places. Now, I am going to start over so when I get my final grades in for the semester, I am going to start applying for scholarships. I am also going to start applying for internships for the summer.

I also went to the SAE meeting. They have a couple of teams working on different competitions. They have an Aero Team, 2 (1 Co-ed, 1 female Mini Baja teams, and a Hybrid group.

Today has been rather busy.

I woke up around 9:30, took a shower, yada yada, you know the routine. At 10:30 I had a meeting with my advisor. I’m glad that my UNIV 101 teacher forced everyone to meet with their advisors – I learned a lot. She helped me figure out some stuff about choosing my minor, registering for classes, events on campus, internships, electives, off-campus schooling, and the list goes on. I’m really glad that I went – So all you Riddle newbies or soon-to-be newbies – Go see your advisor, it’s a good idea. She also pointed me in the right direction for other concerns that I had.

After I got back from seeing my advisor, I made a trip to the bank, and then to a gas station to vacuum out my car – In case you haven’t noticed, Carlos (my car)… It tends to um… suck. I almost regret bringing my car down here, except that it is INFINITELY easier to have the job that I want, aka off-campus, and go to the beach when I want, and the grocery store, mall, etc.

Speaking of my job, Epic called today and asked me to work a few more days in October. I was really worried that I wasn’t going to have enough hours there, and I was going to have to get a third job, but things are looking okay. Plus, I really REALLY don’t want a third job. At all. Although, one of my hallmates did tell me about his job that he loves, and he said he’d give me some information if I want it, but… I really want to continue working at Epic, so hopefully things will work out.

There are these crazy little bugs here – People call them Love Bugs. They are everywhere, and they fly into you, and get in your car and drive you nuts. “Love Bugs” is not a good name for them. They are kind of like June Bugs or June Beetles from back home in Virginia, except they are much smaller and somehow more annoying. I vacuumed up a lot of them while I was vacuuming my car, just because they were bugging me – no pun intended.

After the gas station, I went to Publix to get some food. I had about four things on my list and left with… significantly more things, but I think I did alright. I should be good for another two weeks or so (and then I’ll get paid again). Then I came back to the dorms. Class this afternoon… Woo hoo. Then I get to study for my FIRST COLLEGE TEST. Cumulatively, I’ve already put about 7 hours of study into it… But that’s because I’m TERRIFIED. So… we’ll see how that goes. *crosses fingers*

Stay classy, and stay in class!

Today in my speech class, one of my classmates forgot to turn off the phone. The phone started ringing in the middle of the classroom and the professor asked if that was his phone ringing. He said it was his mom. She picked up the phone and talked to his mom. Everyone in class was laughing because you hear the professor say “No. This is not Papi. This is his teacher. Can you hear the students laughing? Can you please call back after 4:30.”

Lesson of the day: Make sure you have your cell phone off or the ring mode on silent.

I also went to the TFO meeting with Vick. I think it stands for Task Force One but I am not sure. It’s for first year students who want to be more involved with the Student Government.

I bought my business management book online and never received it. I filed a claim with the company and my credit card company. I also bought the book from someone else online, hopefully I get it soon.

At 6:15 in the morning, most 23 year-olds are asleep or at least just waking up. My life is a little bit different than most of my friends, because by 6:15, I am flying. I am one of the newest flight instructors at Embry Riddle’s Daytona Beach campus and I love my job. Sure it’s hard to get up at 5:15 every morning, but when I get to see the sunrise from a mile above the surface of the earth, it’s worth it. And it’s even more worth it when I get to fly with my students that have never seen what I see until they take that first flight. That is my motivation everyday. Today is no different.

I just finished my first activity of the day, which was a C-172 G-1000 simulator. The equipment that you can work with and the things you can do at this university are awesome. I can’t think of any other way to describe it. Being on the business end of it all, and no longer being a student, I get to see what really goes into making the flight department run. The amount of technology in our fleet of glass cockpit aircraft amazes me sometimes. Contrary to what some people believe, the faculty and staff really care about every flight student. From the top dog Frank Ayers, to my training manager Nic Mostert, to the flight instructors, everyone really cares about what happens in the student’s day to day life. This is something that I haven’t realized until I started working for the university after graduation.

Life as a Riddle instructor though isn’t always perfect. The combination of an early start to your day, very long hours sometimes (no more than 12 hours usually), and 4 or 5 turbulent and bumpy ground reference maneuver flights in a row, all takes a toll on any instructor by the end of the day. The other day I was at about 6,500 feet doing power on stalls when my student used his ailerons and opposite rudder to correct an uncoordinated stall. It wasn’t that big of a deal to me, however, it scared my student to death! He didn’t realize that I had full control over the airplane the entire time. It was a good experience for both of us. That’s what it’s all about!

This week was a very busy week for me. I was assigned two group projects that were due on Friday. I was on campus Wed until 1 in the morning and Thurs I was on campus until past midnight.

Also we had the activities fair. There are so many clubs and organizations on campus and not all of them were displayed. I also found out that I am the new Vice President of ASSE. The organization has been inactive for a couple of semesters and now we are working on having it active.

I promised I would spend time with Vick on Friday. I hung out with him for a bit and then I went home early because I was really tired for running around the whole week.

On Saturday, I went out with Cheese. It was our first time hanging out at Seabreeze. We were trying to figure out of places we can go for free. We went to Upstairs and then went to 550. I was trying to teach Cheese how to dance. (He has the mentality that if he’s white, he can’t dance. He was even more self conscious because he was the designated driver). We are taking baby steps. I am determined to have him dancing by the end of the semester or year.

I went to the Kennedy Space Center with some friends from Alpha Phi Omega (Co-ed service fraternity). If you like space and astronauts, I would definitely recommend going there. The entrance is close to $20. I spent a lot of time reading about the history of space. In the end, there is a room where you can play with the toys. They also have a G-force machine.

I know I wrote a lot. I have done so many things the past few weeks and I know I have forgotten many things. The next one hopefully won’t be as long (unless of course you object). If you have any questions, feel free to contact me on the discussion board. Overall, I am enjoying my time here at Embry-Riddle. I hope you have a great day.

Hey Everyone! My name is Blanca and I am a transfer/freshman at Embry-Riddle. I am seeking a degree in Safety Science. I am also a nontraditional and a commuter student (I am too old to be on campus).

Where should I start? I am not sure. I guess I can start on my last day in Seattle.